How And Why Is Your Life Strategy Like An Impressionist Painting?

“Water Lily Pond” by Claude Monet, a founder of French impressionist painting. An Impressionist painting will always contain a certain amount of “fuzziness.” Your life strategy will also contain a certain amount of “fuzziness.” NOTE: To enlarge the picture, click on it.

Before I discuss your life strategy, let’s take a look at an example of mine from an earlier time. First, it is fuzzy! More, on why, later. Second, it isn’t my current life strategy. When I graduated from high school, my strategy was to get a “good” job, marry, and live happily ever-after. Not much of a strategy and frankly, it didn’t come close to working-out. Looking back on it, I think it failed because it was based entirely upon what I thought other people thought I should do AND it was, in a certain way, too specific. Ouch!

Uncle Sam can provide you with a life strategy!

After my failed life strategy, I developed one that worked very well for me. I realized that “getting a job” was too specific in that I thought the job was to make money.:-( The job, at that time in my life, should’ve been working toward a future profession that I respected. I should have been working toward acquiring a profession that would be fulfilling. Just “getting a good job” was more about acquiring a way to earn a living and not, necessarily, preparing for fulfilling profession. As soon as I realized that – after I acquired the “good job” – I quit the job and went to college.

Upon entering college, my life strategy was to “become educated” and to search for a joyous and fulfilling way of life. Does that seem a bit vague? Yep! And, I think that’s the way it should be – somewhat fuzzy. :-)

As mentioned earlier, my life strategy has changed a few times during my life. The previous example does not reflect the only time it has changed, but does represent a major strategic change that served me well. Let’s now address your life strategy.

Having a life strategy will help you not go through life like a pinball in a pinball machine.

Do you have a life strategy?

Having a life strategy will help you not go through life like a pinball in a pinball machine.

Do you have a picture of your life strategy?

The “picture” should be your vision for your life.

Can you demonstrate a process for your life?

Not a plan for your life but a process for your life. More than goals. Goals are like small steps on the marathon walking journey of life.

So, what is your life strategy?

Your life strategy is the process you use to continue your journey of life.

Do you know what your life strategy is?

Not your life plan. A plan gives you the route for your journey of life and that is valuable, but not flexible enough. Often, due to unforseen future variables, the route will change.

Don't you wonder what Einstein's life strategy was?

Perhaps your strategy uses your religion, politics, education, friends, family and/or the past in various proportions as its guiding principles. In fact, it would be difficult to not use them to some degree. But, how do you use them? I think you should use them like you would various objects in a picture. Without the objects, your picture wouldn’t be complete. On the other hand, none, individually are absolutely essential to the overall picture. Continuing with the picture metaphor, your life strategy needs to be a picture that contains you, along with some, if not all, of the important values (objects) in your life.

The picture of your life strategy, most likely, will be more like an impressionist picture than a clear photograph. It will always contain a certain amount of “fuzziness.” This is because your life strategy picture is static due to the nature of life itself.

A good impressionistic picture that when looking at an individual spot, all you see is a "point of color" that refuses to reflect the whole. Upon looking at the whole, you will see the picture for what it is and, at the same time, you must accept its "fuzziness."

Our values, our desires, our strengths, our weaknesses – ourselves should be part of our picture of life strategy. The strategy should not only use, but also help shape our values, strengths, etc.

Life depends on change. Learning depends on change. The nature of life and learning forces us to have a fuzzy picture of our life strategy. But, we still need a good picture, in order to have a fulfilling life.

A good picture, but a fuzzy one? Yes, a good impressionistic picture that when looking at an individual spot, all you see is a “point of color” that refuses to reflect the whole. Upon looking at the whole, you will see the picture for what it is and, at the same time, you must accept its “fuzziness.” Though fuzzy, it still can be a work of art that displays a strategy for a good life.